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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Friday deported 91 Chinese nationals arrested for working in unauthorized Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs and illegal mining operations. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the group left aboard a Philippine Airlines flight to China via Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Pasay City on Sept. 19. The deportation was arranged with …

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) announced that 3G networks in the country will be fully phased out by the end of September, while the shutdown of 2G networks is ongoing to prevent their use in scams and other illegal activities. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said in a press briefing Friday night that DITO Telecommunity and Globe Telecom …

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac on Friday denied rumors that overseas Filipino worker (OFW) lounges in airports will cease operations, assuring instead that the government is set to expand and upgrade the facilities nationwide. “We are denying what is circulating on social media that the OFW Lounge will stop operating. No, these lounges have already served 1.5 million,” Cacdac …

Malaysia is ready to fully support the Philippines in strengthening its halal industry and carving a niche in the multibillion-dollar global market, its envoy to Manila said Friday. Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino lauded the progress of the Philippine Halal Development Strategic Plan during the Foreign Service Institute’s Ambassadors’ Lecture Series in Pasay City. “Malaysia, of course, is …

Malacañang on Friday denounced Vice President Sara Duterte’s remark urging the kidnapping of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, calling it both “illegal and dangerous.” “Ang payo niya is pa-kidnap si Zaldy Co… illegal iyon. So, ganoon ba magbibigay ng suggestion ang isang bise presidente – ang gumawa ng iligal? Delikado iyon,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in …

A former lawmaker from Mindanao lauded ex-Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Friday for voluntarily stepping down from his post to preserve the integrity of the House of Representatives and allow the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) to freely investigate alleged anomalies in government projects. Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, now Romualdez’s chief communications officer, said the move …

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Friday said the Blue Ribbon Committee is waiting for “receipts” to substantiate claims that Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva pocketed commissions from flood control projects. Lacson, who chairs the panel, stressed that former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineer Brice Hernandez must present documentary proof before the Senate or the …

Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso on Friday welcomed the lifting of his preventive suspension, saying he is ready to resume his duties. In a statement, Veloso said the Ombudsman’s Sept. 17 decision affirmed there was no sufficient ground to believe his continued service would prejudice the ongoing investigation into a PHP1.4-billion stock purchase …

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said it is inclined to recommend an extension of the 60-day rice import ban, which ends on Oct. 30, to further support local farmers. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said farmgate prices of palay have improved since President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the suspension of imports from Sept. 1 to Oct. …

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año has called on Europe and the Indo-Pacific to “link arms” in developing countermeasures against cyber intrusions, election manipulation, and other emerging threats. Speaking at a Stratbase ADR Institute forum in Makati City on Thursday, Año stressed the need for sharing best practices to protect democratic institutions. “Our regions must also link arms in developing and …